Comparison of numerical, empirical and local partition methods in ADCB specimens

It is well-known from the scientific literature that the asymmetric double cantilever beam (ADCB) specimen is subjected to mixed-mode I/II load at the crack tip. In these samples, the crack plane lies outside the laminate midplane. In this work, the energy release rate in modes I and II (GI and GII) are obtained by different approaches. The analytical determination of GI and GII in ADCB samples is not simple or straightforward and is usually based on partition methods. Numerical results obtained from finite element analysis (FE) are compared with the analytical local partition method (LP) for a carbon fibre epoxy AS4/3501-6 laminate. Both results are also compared with an empirical formulation obtained in previous works. Results obtained from all three methods are in good agreement.